Repeated prolonged moderate-intensity walking exercise does not appear to have harmful effects on inflammatory markers in patients with inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Background and objectives: The role of exercise in the management of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is inconclusive as most research focused on short or low-intensity exercise bouts and subjective outcomes. We assessed the effects of repeated prolonged moderate-intensity exercise on objective inflammatory markers in IBD patients. Methods: In this study, IBD patients (IBD walkers, n = 18), and a control group (non-IBD walkers, n = 19), completed a 30, 40 or 50 km walking exercise on four consecutive days. Blood samples were taken at baseline and every day post-exercise to test for the effect of disease on exercise-induced changes in cytokine concentrations. A second control group of IBD patients who did not take part in the exercise, IBD non-walkers (n = 19), was used to test for the effect of exercise on faecal calprotectin. Both IBD groups also completed a clinical disease activity questionnaire. Results: Changes in cytokine concentrations were similar for IBD walkers and non-IBD walkers (IL-6 p =.95; IL-8 p =.07; IL-10 p =.40; IL-1β p =.28; TNF-α p =.45), with a temporary significant increase in IL-6 (p